So the weather is baltic, the roads are gridlocked and the schools are shut. You can’t get to the office, so you can’t get any work done. What a nuisance, or is it? It could be the perfect opportunity to catch up and get organised.

1. Catch up with all the unfinished tasks you have on your list by using the extra hours that you would normally spend travelling to work. Check this out to remind you how smart you are. Local travel news.

2. You can finally get stuck into updating your strategic plan. you know the one I mean, that document that you took great care to write then never looked at while you got on with all the day to day issues that take up all of your time. Are you still on track, what activities had you planned but never implemented? Do you need to go back and do them or do you need to revise your plan and move on? What’s a strategy? You need this article.

3. You can catch up with all these follow-up emails you’ve been meaning to send, making sure you are not forgotten by the great people you have met recently. It could lead to new opportunities for your business.

4. Meetings don’t have to be cancelled, you can still talk to people, on the phone or Skype, instead of real life. Although I am a great believer in face-to-face meetings, phone calls tend to be quicker and more to the point, leaving you time to get back to your planning.

5. Stay warm and stay productive!

6. and at the end of the day, relax with friends in #yeoldetwitterpub

Plan ahead for the next freeze by preparing the few essentials you will need to make home-working work: computer/broadband/access to files (dropbox is a good way of keep current files to hand)/phone/coffee/chocolate/soundproof room (for you or the children).

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About Fiona

Fiona is a passionate advocate of the Scottish entrepreneurial spirit, especially our students. She was once a scientist and is a keen supporter of the Scottish life sciences community. She is a powerful networker and loves to put people in touch with others who can help and inspire them.

2 Responses to Can’t get to the office? Don’t despair.

Some great points in your post. I think it’s really important to stay positive and not to see it as being the end of the world. It’s good practice to experience things not going your way, or the way you expect. There’s nothing we can do about the weather, but there’s a heck of a lot we can do about our attitude to dealing with problems like this.

As a result of the disruption I actually found that I’m extremely productive when sitting at the Costa coffee stand in Edinburgh Waverley station. That might have something to do with the imbibing of caffeine but I’ve found that I’m much more creative near trains – at the station or travelling on them. Go figure!

Thanks! In this weather, people seem to be spending a lot of time ‘near’ trains, so its good to know that the waiting time can be used well. With smartphones and wifi, its easy to keep connected. And sitting with Costa coffee must be better than sitting in a car for 12 hours.